THE EXPLANATION of Isaiah Chapter 44

(Note: Rev. Smithson's translation of the Isaiah text is appended below the explanation.)

1. BUT hear now, O Jacob, My servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:

VERSES 1-6. These words imply that GOD MESSIAH gives to the regenerate man spiritual and celestial gifts.

By "Jacob My servant, and Israel My chosen", are understood all the regenerate. "Fear you not, O My servant Jacob", etc., are words of exhortation that man may not despair in temptations, and that he may thus be supported, wherefore he is here called "Jeshurun", [see note, p 451.] and not Israel. "Waters upon the thirsty" are spiritual gifts and comforts; the "thirsty" and the "dry" are predicated of him who is in temptation; "your seed" is everything which is sown, as in a field, in the man who is about to be regenerated; the "blessing" is the increase, and the "offspring" are the things which are hence horn; hence the "grass" or the "new creature", as he is then called; the regenerate are compared to " trees by the water-brooks." Verse 5 treats of the quality of the new man, that is, when he has put on the new man, namely, that he shall be called by the name of "Jacob", who in the supreme sense is the MESSIAH, as shown above, and "written in the book of life"; he "writes with his own hand to be Jehovah's, and surnames himself by the name of Israel", because by the divine Mercy of GOD MESSIAH he has sustained temptations, (Swedenborg's Notes on Isaiah, p. 110.)

Verse 1. Israel, whom I have chosen. - That the Jews were chosen to form a representative or a typical church, and were not chosen, in the sense of salvation, above other nations, see above, Chapter 14:1, the Exposition.

2. Thus says Jehovah, your Maker, and your Former from the womb, who will help you: Fear you not, O My servant Jacob; and you, O Jeshurun, whom I have chosen:

Verses 2, 24. The Lord, in many parts of the Word, is called "Creator", "Maker", and "Former from the womb", and also "Redeemer", by reason that He creates man anew, reforms, regenerates, and redeems. It may be supposed that the Lord is so called because He creates man and forms him in the womb, but still it is a spiritual creation and formation which is there understood; for the Word is not only natural, but also spiritual. Apocalypse Explained 710.

The Lord is called "Maker and Former from the womb", because He regenerates man, and from being natural makes him spiritual. Because regeneration is effected by Truth and Good, therefore it is said that He will "pour out waters upon the thirsty", etc.; for by "waters" is meant Truth. Arcana Coelestia 8013.

As to the process of "regeneration", see Chapter 8:3, the Exposition.

3. For I will pour out waters upon the thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground: I will pour out My spirit upon your seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring.

4. And they shall spring up among the grass; as the willows beside the water-brooks.

Verse 3. To "pour out waters upon the thirsty", signifies to instruct those in Truths who are in the affection of Truth; to "pour out streams upon the dry ground", means to give intelligence to those who, by virtue of Good, are in the desire of Truth. The like is signified by "pouring out the spirit and the blessing"; for by the "Spirit of God" is understood the Divine Truth, and by "blessing" the multiplication and fructification thereof, thus intelligence. Who does not see that in this passage, and in those above quoted, "waters" and "rivers", "desert" and "wilderness", are not understood, but such things as appertain to the church? Apocalypse Explained 518. See also in this chapter, verse 27.

Verses 3, 4. By the "Spirit of Jehovah" is signified the Divine Truth, and by "blessing" the multiplication and fructification thereof; hence intelligence by scientific Truth is understood by "springing up among the grass. Apocalypse Explained 507.

As to "grass", see Chapter 35:7; and for the signification of "willows", both in a good and in a bad sense, see Chapter 15:7, the Exposition.

5. One shall say, I am Jehovah's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob: and another shall write with his hand to be Jehovah's, and shall surname himself by the name of Israel.

Verse 5. These things are said concerning the Lord, and concerning His Divine Human.

By "Jacob" and by "Israel", where the Lord is treated of, is denoted His Human, and that it was also Jehovah, is understood by "One saying, I am Jehovah's", and by "writing with his hand to be Jehovah 's." In the supreme sense "Israel" and "Jacob" denote the Lord. Apocalypse Explained 222. See also

Arcana Coelestia 4286, 4570.

The reason why "writing" upon any one denotes to implant in the life, is, because to write is to commit anything to paper from the memory, thought, and mind, in order that it may endure or remain; wherefore, in the spiritual sense, it signifies that which is to remain in the life of man, being inscribed and implanted in him; thus the natural sense of this expression is turned into the spiritual sense, for it is natural to write upon paper or in a hook, but it is spiritual to inscribe on the life, which is done when it is imprinted in the faith and love, for love and faith make the spiritual life of man Inasmuch as to "write" signifies to implant in the life, therefore also it is said of Jehovah, or of the Lord, that "He writeth" and "has written in a book", whereby is understood what is inscribed by the Lord on the spirit of man, that is, in his heart and soul. or what is the same, in his love and faith, as in David:

"Let them be blotted out of the book of lives, and let them not be written with the just." (Psalm 69:28)

Again:

"There shall not enter any into the New Jerusalem, but those who are written in the Lamb's book of life." (Revelation 21:27)

In these and in other passages of similar import, it is not understood that they are written in a book, but that all things appertaining to faith and love are inscribed on the spirit of man. The same is also evident from Jeremiah:

"I will give My law in the midst of them, and will write it upon their heart." (Jeremiah 31:33)

To "give the law in the midst of them" denotes divine Truth in them; "in the midst" signifies within or inwardly in man; and to "write it upon the heart" is to impress it upon the love, for the "heart" signifies the love.

Again,

"They who recede from Me shall be written in the earth", etc. (Jeremiah 17:13, 14)

To be "written in the earth" is to be condemned on account of the state of life, inasmuch as by "earth" here is signified what is condemned. Hence it is evident what is meant by "the Lord's writing twice with His finger on the earth", when the Scribes and Pharisees brought to Him the woman taken in adultery, (John 8:2-11) namely, the same as in Jeremiah, - [utter condemnation of the sin of adultery; the opposite is to have "one's name written. in heaven", (Luke 10:12) which is salvation.] Apocalypse Explained 222.

6. Thus says Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts: I am the First, and I am the Last; and beside Me there is no God.

Verse 6. That the Lord, as the "First", contains all things in connection by the "Last" or Ultimate, can be evident from the Word and from Man. The Word in last principles is its literal sense, and the Word in the first is the Lord; and the Word in its interiors is its internal sense, which is perceived in the heavens, and which takes those who are there look to "one end, who is the Lord. Man in last principles is the church upon earth, - Man in first principles is the Lord; Man in interior principles is Heaven; for the church and heaven are before the

Lord as one Man, which is therefore called the greatest or Grand Man. There is a continual connection between them, and according to this connection is the influx of all things from the Lord through the heavens to the church on earth. By the "heavens" are understood the angels who are there; and by the "church" the men, that is, the true men of the church; and by "Man" in first principles, or as the "First", is the Lord as to His Divine Human. That from the "First" by the "Last" all things are kept in connection, and stand together, is understood by the Lord's words in the Apocalypse:

"These things says the First and the Last, who was dead, and is alive again." 2:8.

Arcana Coelestia 10044.

7. And who, as I, shall call and shall declare it, and set it in order for Me, from the time that I appointed the ancient people? the signs, and the things that shall come, let them declare unto them.

Verse 7. The signs. - See Chapter 41:23, note.

8. Fear you not, neither be you afraid: have I not told it unto you from the first, and have declared it? and you are My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? yea, there is no Rock; I know not any.

Verse 8. Is there a God beside Me? yea, there is no Rock: I know not any. - By the "Rock" here also is understood the Lord as to Divine Truth. - Apocalypse Explained 411. See the Exposition of Isaiah Chapter 16:1.

9. The formers of a graven image are all of them vanity; and the things which they most desire shall not profit: and they are their own witnesses; they see not, they know not; so that they shall be ashamed.

Verses 9-20. By the whole of this description of the "graven image" is understood the formation of doctrine from self-derived intelligence, and all things, as to every particular of the description, signify the particular things of such formation. To what purpose else would such a prolix description of the formation alone of a "graven image " be given in the divine Word? That there is nothing but what is false, because from self derived intelligence, is understood by "'The formers of a graven image are all of them emptiness [or vanity]", and by " the things which they most desire being of no profit"; also by their having no knowledge and intelligence, and by not saying "Is there not a lie in my right hand?" The self-derived intelligence from which the false of doctrine is formed is described by "the fashioning of iron with the tongs", and by "working it in the coals with the strength of his arm"; to "fashion iron with the tongs", and to " work it in the coals", denoting to forge out falsities which favour the loves of man's proprium. The conjoining of falsities to falsities by fallacies, from which they appear as Truths, is described by "He stretches out the line; he marks it out with a rule; he makes it with tools; he marks it out with the compass; and he makes it according to the form of a man, according to the beauty of a man, that it may abide in the house."

By "the form of a man" is signified the appearance of Truth; by "the beauty of a man " the appearance of Intelligence thence derived; and by "abiding in the house" is understood the appearance of spiritual life thence derived. That there is thence no life of intelligence, or of the perception of Truth and of Good, is signified by "They know not, neither do they understand", also by "their eyes not seeing, and their hearts not understanding. "The particular exposition of everything contained in this description would be too prolix; it is sufficient that everyone may see that something more interior and more wise is signified than the formation only of a "graven image." Let it be known that such heavenly wisdom is contained in this description as is ineffable, in which wisdom are the angels when it is read by man, although man thinks of nothing else but of a graven image and its formation; for as many as are the expressions in the above passage, so many are the correspondences, and hence so many arcana of wisdom. Apocalypse Explained 587. See also Arcana Coelestia 10406.

10. Who has formed a god, and cast a graven image that is profitable for nothing?

11. Behold, all his associates shall be ashamed; and the workmen themselves are of men: they shall assemble all of them; they shall stand; they shall fear, and be ashamed together.

12. He fashions iron with the tongs; he works it in the coals, find forms it with sharp hammers; and he works it with the strength of his arm: yea, he is hungry, and has no strength; he drinks no waters, and he is faint.

13. He fashions wood, he stretches out the line; he marks it out with a rule; he makes it with tools; he marks it out with the compass; and he makes it according to the form of a man, according to the beauty of a man, that it may abide in the house.

Verses 10, 12. In this passage is described the formation of doctrine from the proprium, both in the intellect and love.

By "forming a god" is understood doctrine from the intellect, which is of the proprium; and by "casting a graven image", doctrine from the love, which is of the proprium, By" fashioning iron with the tongs, and working it in the coals", is signified the false, which he calls Truth, and the evil, which he calls Good; "iron" denoting the false, and a "fire of coals" the evil of the love of the proprium.

By "He forms it with sharp [or pointed] hammers" is signified by ingenious reasonings, grounded in falsities, which appear to cohere; by "the strength of his arm with which he so works it" is signified from the proprium; by "hungering" is understood the deprivation of Good, and by "not drinking" the deprivation of Truth; and by "his strength failing" and by being "wearied" is meant until nothing of Good and of Truth remains. Who forms any other idea, if he sees the Word merely from the sense of the letter, but that the formation of a "graven image" is here described? Nevertheless, he may see that such description of the formation of a "graven image " does not involve anything spiritual, also that it is superfluous to say that "he hungers until he has no strength, nor drinks until he is faint"; whereas not only in this, but in all passages of a similar nature in the Word, the formation of a religion and doctrine of what is false is described by "idols", "sculptured and molten images", which, that they signify the falsities of religion and of doctrine, originating in the intellect and love which are grounded in the proprium, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia; Arcana Coelestia 8869, 8932, 8941. Apocalypse Explained 386.

Verses 12, 13. He fashions iron, etc.; - he fashions Wood, etc. - [The process of forming idols out of "iron" and out of "wood" is here minutely described. An "idol" fashioned or framed out of iron, signifies falsities, or false doctrines respecting Truth in the literal sense of the Word, to which Truth "iron" corresponds, (Apocalypse Explained 70, 131, 411, 1147)

Such false doctrines as are signified by "idols made of iron" are framed when the appearances of the literal sense of the Word are taken for genuine Truths, as that God is angry, that from vengeance He punishes, that He casts into hell, that He leads into temptation, that He does evil, etc. They who frame their doctrines out of the mere appearances of Truth in the letter of the Word, and not from the literal sense rightly understood, make idols out of iron; and the process of their formation here depicted corresponds to the cupidities and the ingenious reasonings of the merely natural mind, by which such doctrines are forged, as a smith forges iron into various forms. To "fashion wood" into an idol, signifies to frame false doctrines as to good works, to which "wood" in one sense corresponds. (Apocalypse Revealed 459) "Idols of wood", or false doctrines relating to good works, are of various kinds, originating chiefly in the false doctrine of "Salvation of Faith only." Such "idols of wood", or such falsities, endeavour to prove, amongst other false principles, that good works do not contribute to salvation, that they are necessarily meritorious, that they derogate from Christ's merits, and that they are merely moral acts, necessary for man's life in the world, but not to be considered as conducive to his eternal life in heaven. The fallacious and ingenious reasonings" by which such doctrines are framed and maintained, are denoted by the process by which the workman makes the idol, "stretching out his line, marking it out with his rule, applying his compass", etc., - so as to make such doctrines into "the form of a man", or into the appearance of Truth itself. As to the signification of "idols" of gold, of silver, of brass, of stone, and of wood, see above, Chapter 2:20, the Exposition.]

14. He hews down cedars for himself, and he takes the box and the oak; and he chooses for himself from among the trees of the forest: he plants the ash, and the rain doth nourish it.

15. That it may be to a man for fuel: and he takes thereof, and warms himself; yea, he kindles it, and baketh bread: he also forms a god, and worships it; he makes it a graven image, and bows down thereto.

Verse 14. As to the meaning of "cedars" and "oaks", both in a good and in a bad sense, see above, Chapter 2:12-17, the Exposition.

16. A part thereof he burns in the fire; and on a part thereof [he prepareth] flesh, and eats: he roasts roast, that he may be satisfied; he also warms himself, and says, Ah! I am warm; I have seen the fire.

Verses 16, 19. In the Word what is "roasted" is distinguished from what is "boiled." By what is "roasted" is signified Good, because by fire; and by what is "boiled" is understood Truth, because by water. From this it is evident what is understood in the spiritual sense by "the broiled or roasted fish"; (Luke 24:42, 43) and what by "the fish on the fire of coals", when the Lord , appeared to His disciples, concerning which we read in John :

"As soon as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and "bread; Jesus then cometh, and takes bread, and giveth to them, and fish likewise." (John 21, 13)

By the "fish "is signified, the Truth of the natural principle; (see Arcana Coelestia 991) but by the "fire of coals", Good;thus by the "fish laid thereon" is signified. the Truth of spiritual Good in the natural principle. He who does not believe that there is an internal sense in the Word, cannot believe otherwise than that when the Lord appeared to the disciples there was no arcanum involved in the circumstance, but that a fish was on the fire of coals, and that the Lord gave it to the disciples to eat. Because by what is "roasted by fire" is signified the Good which is of celestial and spiritual love, therefore, in the opposite sense, by what is "roasted by fire" is signified the evil which is of the love of self and of the world, as in Isaiah:

"A part thereof he burns in the fire; and on a part thereof [he prepares] flesh, and eats; he roasts roast, that he may be satisfied", etc. (Isaiah 44:16, 19)

The subject here treated of is concerning the worshippers of a graven image. By a "graven image" is understood the false of evil, which is thus described; to "roast roast", and to "roast flesh", is to operate or to work out evil from filthy love.That " fire", in the opposite sense, is the evil of self-love and of worldly love, or of the cupidities which arise from those loves, may be seen, Arcana Coelestia 1297, 1861. Arcana Coelestia 7852.

Verse 16. He warms himself, and says, Ah! I am warm; I have seen the fire. - [To "warm one's self by a fire of coals", (John 18:18) as Peter and the servants of the Sanhedrin did, when Jesus was about to be crucified, signifies to warm one's self by the excited fires of self-love. "Ah! I have seen the fire", implies gladness at the ascendancy of selfish purposes either of dominion or of gain, when false doctrines, denoted by these "idols", so prevail as to secure these objects and ends of selfish and worldly love.]

17. And the residue thereof he makes a god, [even] his graven image: he bows down to it, and worships it; and he prays unto it, and says, Deliver me; for you art my god!

18. They know not, neither do they understand: for He has besmeared their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand:

19. Neither doth he lay it to his heart; neither has he knowledge nor understanding to say, Part of it I have burned in the fire; I have also baked bread on the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and I have eaten: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I bow myself down to the stock of a tree?

Verses 17, 18. These words denote that in "idols" [or false doctrinesJ there are no Truths and Goods; for all things which proceed from self-intelligence, are inwardly not Truths and Goods, but falsities and evils, for they proceed from man's proprium, which is radically evil. Arcana Coelestia 8869.

20. He feeds on ashes: a deluded heart has caused him to err; so that he cannot deliver his own soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

21. Remember these things, O Jacob and Israel; for you art My servant: I have formed you; you art a servant unto Me: O Israel, you shalt not be forgotten by Me.

Verse 20. "Ashes" signify the falsities derived from the evil of lusts. The reason why "ashes" signify the falsities of lusts, is, because ashes are from combustibles, and what is combustible, as also "fire" itself in the Word, in the good sense, signifies the Good of heavenly affections; but, in the opposite sense, the evil of infernal lusts. Arcana Coelestia 7519.

[Hence it appears that when the maker of idols is said to "feed upon ashes", all those who frame false doctrines, and who believe in them, will eventually, if these "idols" are not rejected, have their minds imbued and fed with mere falsities from evil.]

A deluded heart has caused him to err, so that he cannot deliver his own soul. - "Heart" signifies the life of love, and "soul" the life of faith; to "go astray" from these things is to incline to what is evil and false. Arcana Coelestia 9050.

He cannot deliver his own soul, nor say, is there not a lie in my right hand?

And in David:

"You have exalted the right hand of his enemies." (Psalm 89:42)

Again,

"Whose mouth speaks vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of a lie." (Psalm 144:8, 11)

The reason why by the "right hand", when predicated of the evil, signifies the false, and thence ratiocination and combat against Truth, is, because the quarters with those who are in evil, are opposite to the quarters which are with those who are in Good, so that to the right of the former Truths are in dense darkness, but falsities, as it were, in the greatest light. That the quarters in the spiritual world with those who are in evil, are opposite to the quarters which are with those who are in Good, may be seen in the work concerning Heaven and Hell 151, 152; and the reason thereof, n. 122, 123. Apocalypse Explained 298.

22. I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed you.

Verse 22. "Transgressions" and also "sins" are here mentioned, on account of the marriage of Goodness and Truth in every minute particular of the Word; for "transgression" [praevaricatio]; signifies evil against Truth, which is a less evil, and "sin" is evil, against Good, which is a greater evil. Hence it is that both are mentioned, as in Isaiah 44:22; and in Ezekiel 18:24; 21:29; and in David:

"Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, and whose sin is covered." (Psalm 32:1) Arcana Coelestia 6563.

23. Sing, O you heavens, for Jehovah has done it; shout, O you lower parts of the earth: burst forth into singing, O you mountains; you forest, and every tree therein! for Jehovah has redeemed Jacob, and has glorified Himself in Israel.

24. Thus says Jehovah, your Redeemer, and your Former from the womb: I am Jehovah, who makes all things; who stretches out the heavens alone; who spreads forth the earth by Myself;

Verse 23. The subject treated of in this passage is concerning the Lord, His advent, and salvation by Him; and because these things were about to come, therefore mention is made of a "new song." The joy thence arising is described not only by singing, playing, making a loud noise, jubilating, clapping, but also by various musical instruments, whose sounds are in agreement therewith; it is likewise said that "the rivers, the sea, the field, the forest, the trees therein, Lebanon, the wilderness, the mountains", etc., should rejoice, exult, jubilate, sing, clap the hands, and, cry aloud together. The reason why similar things are predicated of those objects is, because they signify such things as appertain to the church, and consequently such as appertain to the man of the church; the "rivers" things appertaining to intelligence, the "sea" things appertaining to science, which are in agreement with Truths and Goods, the "field" the Good of the church, "forests" the Truths of the natural man, the "trees" knowledges, "Lebanon" Truth and Good spiritual, the "wilderness " the desire of Truth that Good may be thence attained, and the "mountains" the Goods of love. All these things are said to "sing", to "make a loud noise", to "jubilate", to "cry aloud", and "clap the hands", when they are derived from heaven, for then heavenly joy is in them, and thereby in man; for man is not in heavenly joy unless the Truths and Goods which are with him, are derived from heaven, - the joy of the heart, which is truly joy, being from thence, and consequently the joy of the man with whom these things are.

From these considerations it may appear why the like is predicated concerning them as concerning man, namely, because joy is in them, and thereby in man. Such joy is in every spiritual and celestial Good, and thence in those with whom those Goods are; for heaven flows in with its joy, that is, the Lord through heaven, into the Goods, and thence into the Truths, which are from Him with man, and thereby into the man, and not into the man deprived of them, or empty. Those Goods, and the Truths thence derived, are what exult, jubilate, make a loud noise, sing, play, and thus rejoice, by virtue of influx out of heaven, and thence cause the same in the heart of man. Inasmuch as there are various affections of Good and of Truth, and as each expresses itself by a sound agreeable to its quality, therefore in the Word various kinds of "instruments" are mentioned, especially in David, by which similar affections are signified. He who knows the internal sense of the Word, and, at the same time, the sounds of the "instruments" which are there named, may know what particular affection as there signified and described. The angels know this from the mention of them alone, and, at the same time, from the thing described in the expressions made use of when man reads the Word. Apocalypse Explained 326.

Verses 23, 24. Sing, O you heavens, etc. - "Sing, O you heavens; shout, O you lower parts, of the earth: burst forth into singing, O you mountains; you forest, and every tree therein!" signify all things of heaven and of the church, as well internal as external, all which have reference to Good and to Truth. Things internal are signified by the "heavens", things external by the "lower parts of the earth"; the "mountains" denote the Goods of love, the "forest" natural Truth and the "trees" therein the knowledges of Truth. By reason of such significations. It is said "For Jehovah has redeemed Jacob, and has glorified Himself in Israel"; by "Jacob", in the Word, is signified the external church, and by "Israel" the internal. To "stretch out the heavens" and to "spread forth the earth", signifies the church on all sides, which is expanded and extended by the multiplication of Truth and by the fructification of Good with those who are of the church. Apocalypse Explained 304.

Verses 24, 26. Jehovah, your Redeemer, and your Former from the womb, etc. - These words also treat concerning the advent of the Lord, who is "Jehovah your Redeemer, and your Former from the womb." He is called "Redeemer" by virtue of His liberating from hell, and "Former from the womb" by virtue of His regenerating man. The prediction by the prophets concerning Him, and concerning the salvation of men, is understood by "establishing the word of His servant, and performing the counsel of His messengers." That they who are of His church shall be saved, and instructed in the Truths of celestial doctrine, is understood by His "saying to Jerusalem, You shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, You shall he built"; "Jerusalem" denoting the church, and the "cities of Judah" the Truths of celestial doctrine. That the falsities which destroy the church shall be shaken off, is understood by "I will raise up the waste places thereof." That Jerusalem and Judah are not here literally meant, is evident, inasmuch as the Lord said that "Jerusalem should be destroyed", which came to pass accordingly. Apocalypse Explained 433.

25. Who frustrates the tokens of the liars, and makes the diviners mad; who rejects wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish;

26. Who establishes the word of His servant, and performs the counsel of His messengers: who says to Jerusalem, You shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, You shall be built; and her waste places I will raise up;

Verses 25, 26. These words treat of the rejection of a church whose doctrine is from man's self-intelligence; and they also treat of the establishment of a New Church, whose doctrine is from the Lord. The doctrine from man's self-intelligence is understood by "frustrating the tokens of the liars, by rejecting wise men backward, and by making their knowledge foolish." The doctrine which is from the Lord is understood by "saying to Jerusalem, You shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, You shall be built." Apocalypse Explained 223.

Verses 26, 27. Jehovah says to Jerusalem, You shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, You shall be built, etc. - The restoration of the church and of doctrine is signified by being "inhabited" and by being "built." The dissipation of the evils and falsities which are from the hells, and protection from them, is signified by "drying up the deep", and by "making dry the rivers." Apocalypse Explained 538.

27. Who says to the deep, Be you dry; and I will dry up your rivers;

Verse 27. These words signify the dissipation of evils and falsities; for where "waters" signify Truths, "drying up" signifies a state of no Truth, or without Truth, as at verse 3 of this chapter:

"I will pour out waters upon the thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground"; "waters" and "streams" signify Truth, and "dry ground" where there is no Truth. Arcana Coelestia 8185. See also Chapter 11:15, 10, the Exposition.

28. Who says to Cyrus, My shepherd! and he shall perform all My pleasure: who to Jerusalem, You shalt be built; and to the temple, Your foundation shall be laid.

Verse 28. That "Cyrus" is a representative or type of Jehovah in His Divine Human, or of the Lord Jesus Christ, see Chapter 45:1, the Exposition.

To the temple, Your foundation shall be laid. - As to the "Temple", and its important signification, see Chapter 6:1, the Exposition.

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Isaiah Chapter 44

1. BUT hear now, O Jacob, My servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:

2. Thus says Jehovah, your Maker, and your Former from the womb, who will help you: Fear you not, O My servant Jacob; and you, O Jeshurun, whom I have chosen:

3. For I will pour out waters upon the thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground: I will pour out My spirit upon your seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring.

4. And they shall spring up among the grass; as the willows beside the water-brooks.

5. One shall say, I am Jehovah's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob: and another shall write with his hand to be Jehovah's, and shall surname himself by the name of Israel.

6. Thus says Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of Hosts: I am the First, and I am the Last; and beside Me there is no God.

7. And who, as I, shall call and shall declare it, and set it in order for Me, from the time that I appointed the ancient people? the signs, and the things that shall come, let them declare unto them.

8. Fear you not, neither be you afraid: have I not told it unto you from the first, and have declared it? and you are My witnesses. Is there a God beside Me? yea, there is no Rock; I know not any.

9. The formers of a graven image are all of them vanity; and the things which they most desire shall not profit: and they are their own witnesses; they see not, they know not; so that they shall be ashamed.

10. Who has formed a god, and cast a graven image that is profitable for nothing?

11. Behold, all his associates shall be ashamed; and the workmen themselves are of men: they shall assemble all of them; they shall stand; they shall fear, and be ashamed together.

12. He fashions iron with the tongs; he works it in the coals, find forms it with sharp hammers; and he works it with the strength of his arm: yea, he is hungry, and has no strength; he drinks no waters, and he is faint.

13. He fashions wood, he stretches out the line; he marks it out with a rule; he makes it with tools; he marks it out with the compass; and he makes it according to the form of a man, according to the beauty of a man, that it may abide in the house.

14. He hews down cedars for himself, and he takes the box and the oak; and he chooses for himself from among the trees of the forest: he plants the ash, and the rain doth nourish it.

15. That it may be to a man for fuel: and he takes thereof, and warms himself; yea, he kindles it, and baketh bread: he also forms a god, and worships it; he makes it a graven image, and bows down thereto.

16. A part thereof he burns in the fire; and on a part thereof [he prepareth] flesh, and eats: he roasts roast, that he may be satisfied; he also warms himself, and says, Ah! I am warm; I have seen the fire.

17. And the residue thereof he makes a god, [even] his graven image: he bows down to it, and worships it; and he prays unto it, and says, Deliver me; for you art my god!

18. They know not, neither do they understand: for He has besmeared their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand:

19. Neither doth he lay it to his heart; neither has he knowledge nor understanding to say, Part of it I have burned in the fire; I have also baked bread on the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and I have eaten: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I bow myself down to the stock of a tree?

20. He feeds on ashes: a deluded heart has caused him to err; so that he cannot deliver his own soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

21. Remember these things, O Jacob and Israel; for you art My servant: I have formed you; you art a servant unto Me: O Israel, you shalt not be forgotten by Me.

22. I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, your transgressions, and, as a cloud, your sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed you.

23. Sing, O you heavens, for Jehovah has done it; shout, O you lower parts of the earth: burst forth into singing, O you mountains; you forest, and every tree therein! for Jehovah has redeemed Jacob, and has glorified Himself in Israel.

24. Thus says Jehovah, your Redeemer, and your Former from the womb: I am Jehovah, who makes all things; who stretches out the heavens alone; who spreads forth the earth by Myself;

25. Who frustrates the tokens of the liars, and makes the diviners mad; who rejects wise men backward, and makes their knowledge foolish;

26. Who establishes the word of His servant, and performs the counsel of His messengers: who says to Jerusalem, You shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, You shall be built; and her waste places I will raise up;

27. Who says to the deep, Be you dry; and I will dry up your rivers;

28. Who says to Cyrus, My shepherd! and he shall perform all My pleasure: who to Jerusalem, You shalt be built; and to the temple, Your foundation shall be laid.

538. The "abyss" signifies the hells where and from which are falsities, because those hells where the falsities of evil have rule appear like seas, in the depths of which is the infernal crew, which is in the falsities of evil. These hells appear like seas because falsities continually flow out from them, and falsities appear like waters; this is why "waters" in the Word also signify falsities. Moreover, from the waters themselves the quality of the falsity there is known, for falsities are of many kinds, as many as there are evils. Falsities that are from grievous evils appear over those hells like dense and black waters, and falsities from the evil of the love of self like ruddy waters, the density and color making evident the kind of falsity. It must be remembered that in the spiritual world truths also appear like waters, but like limpid and pure waters. This is because there are three degrees of man's life, as there are three heavens. Those in whom the third degree is opened are in an atmosphere pure like ether; those who are in the third or inmost heaven are in such an atmosphere; those in whom only the second degree is opened are in an atmosphere as it were aerial; those who are in the second or middle heaven are in such an atmosphere: but those in whom the first degree only is opened are in a kind of watery, rare, and pure atmosphere; those who are in the first or ultimate heaven are in such an atmosphere. This is because interior perceptions and thoughts, as being more perfect, correspond to a purity of atmosphere like that in which they are, for they pour themselves forth from every angel and still more from every angelic society, and present a corresponding sphere, which sphere is manifested in a purity like that of the perceptions and thoughts of the angels, that is, of their intelligence and wisdom. This sphere appears, as has been said, like an atmosphere, like an ethereal atmosphere in the inmost heaven, like an aerial atmosphere in the middle heaven, and like a rare watery atmosphere in the ultimate heaven. This makes evident that a kind of watery atmosphere corresponds to natural thought and perception, but a rare watery atmosphere corresponds to spiritual-natural thought and perception in which are the angels of the ultimate heaven; but a dense watery atmosphere, approaching either to black or ruddy, corresponds to natural thought in which there is nothing spiritual, and natural thought in which there is nothing spiritual those have who are in the hells where falsities prevail, for all who are there are merely natural and sensual. (That man has three degrees of life, like the three heavens, and that they differ in purity, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 33, 34, 208, 209, 211.) This makes evident why such hells are called in the Word "seas" and "abysses," "seas" because they appear like seas, and "abysses" from their depth.

[2] That "seas," "depths," and "abysses" signify the hells where and from which are the falsities of evil, can be seen in the following passages of the Word. In Moses:

Pharaoh's chariots and his army hath He cast into the sea. The abysses have covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone. From the wind of Thy nostrils the waters were piled up, the floods stood upright as a heap, and the abysses were congealed in the heart of the sea (Exodus 15:4, 5, 8).

This is from the song of Moses respecting Pharaoh and his army after they were drowned in the Sea Suph. "Pharaoh and his army" signifying those who are in falsities from evil, and the "Sea Suph" the hell where those falsities are; from which it is evident that "the abysses covered them" signifies that the hells covered them. (What the rest signifies in the spiritual sense, see Arcana Coelestia 8272-8279, and 8286-8289, where it is explained.)

[3] These things have a like signification in David:

He rebuked the Sea Suph that it might be dried up, and He led them through the abysses as in the wilderness. The waters covered his ¹ adversaries (Psalms 106:9, 11).

In Isaiah:

Art Thou not He who dried up the sea, the waters of the great abyss; who made the depths of the sea for a way that the redeemed might pass over? (Isaiah 51:10, 15).

Who divided the waters before them, who led them through the abysses like a horse in the wilderness; they stumbled not (Isaiah 63:12, 13).

The "sons of Israel" before whom the Sea Suph was dried up, and through which, when dried up, they passed safely, mean all who are in truths from good, whom the Lord protects, lest the falsities of evil that continually rise up from the hells should harm them; this is the meaning of "He dried up the sea, the waters of the great abyss," and of "He made its depths for way that the redeemed might pass over," also of "He led them through the abysses;" for falsities that are exhaled from the hells, consequently the hells, continually surround man (for it is the same whether you say falsities from the hells, or the hells), but the Lord continually disperses them with those who are in truths from good from Him; so this is what is signified by "drying up the sea," and "leading them through the abysses." Those who are in truths from good from the Lord are meant by the "redeemed."

[4] "To dry up the abyss" and "to make dry the rivers" have the same signification in Isaiah:

Jehovah saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the waste places thereof; saying to the abyss, Be dry; and I will make dry thy rivers (Isaiah 44:26, 27).

"Jerusalem" signifies the Lord's church, and "the cities of Judah" signify the goods and truths of doctrine; the restoration of the church and of doctrine is signified by "to be inhabited" and "to be built;" the dispersion of evils and falsities that are from the hells and protection from them, are signified by "drying up the abyss and making dry the rivers" (as above).

[5] The same is signified in Zechariah:

Israel shall pass through the sea of distress, and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the river shall be dried up; and the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart (Zechariah 10:11).

That those who are protected by the Lord in truths from good shall live, although falsities from the hells encompass them, is signified by "Israel shall pass through the sea and shall smite the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the river shall be dried up," for "Israel" means those who are in truths from good; the "sea" signifies hell and all falsity therefrom; the "waves of the sea" signify reasonings from falsities against truths; "to dry up all the depths of the river" signifies to disperse all the falsities of evil, even the deeper, the "river Nile" signifying false knowledge [scientificum]; therefore it follows "the pride of Assyria shall be cast down, and the staff of Egypt shall depart," "Assyria" signifying reasoning from falsities against truths, and "Egypt" knowledge [scientificum] applied to confirm falsities; "the pride of Assyria which shall be cast down" signifies self-intelligence from which comes reasoning; and "the staff of Egypt which shall depart" signifies the power that is added to reasoning by knowledges that are applied for confirmation.

[6] In Ezekiel:

In the day when he shall go down into hell, I will cause to mourn, I will cover the abyss over him (Ezekiel 31:15).

This is said of Pharaoh and Assyria; and "Pharaoh" has a similar signification as "Egypt," namely, knowledge destroying the truth of the church by application to falsities, and "Assyria" signifies reasoning from falsities; that those who are such are cast down into hell, where such falsities and reasonings from falsities are, is signified by "he shall go down into hell, and shall be covered with the abyss;" from which it is evident that the "abyss" means the hell where and from which are the falsities of evil.

[7] In Micah:

God will turn back, He will have compassion upon us, He will subdue our iniquities, and He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Micah 7:19).

Because "the depths of the sea," the same as "abysses," mean the hells where and from which are evils and falsities, it is said, "He will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea."

[8] In Ezekiel:

When I shall make thee a desolate city like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall make the abyss to come up against thee, and many waters shall cover thee; then will I make thee to go down with them that go down into the pit, to the people of an age, and I will make thee to dwell in the land of the lower parts, in the desolations from an age, with them that go down into the pit, that thou have no habitation (Ezekiel 26:19, 20).

This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church in respect to the knowledges of truth and good, or in respect to the truths of the natural man, for the truths of the natural man are the knowledges of truth and good; this treats of the vastation of the church in respect to these; to make Tyre "a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited," signifies its doctrine without truths, and like the doctrines that are without good, for the truths of doctrine without good are not truths, since all truths are of good; "to make the abyss to come up against Tyre, that many waters may cover her," signifies immersion in falsities from hell in great abundance, the "abyss" meaning hell, and "many waters" falsities in great abundance; "with them that go down into the pit, to the people of an age," signifies to those in hell who were there from the most ancient church just before the flood; these are called "the people of an age, because they were from ancient time, and were, above others, in direful falsities. This shows what is signified by "making to dwell in the land of the lower parts, in the desolations from an age, with them that go down into the pit, that thou have no habitation," "to have no habitation" signifying here not to be in any truths, because not in good, for such do not dwell in houses but in pits.

[9] Like things are signified in Zechariah:

Behold, Jehovah ² will impoverish Tyre, and smite her wealth in the sea; and she herself shall be devoured by fire (Zechariah 9:4).

"To smite her wealth in the sea" signifies to cast falsities into hell, "the sea" meaning the hell in which are the falsities of evil, and "wealth" meaning the falsities themselves.

[10] In Ezekiel:

Those that despise thee have brought thee into many waters; the east wind hath broken thee in the heart of the seas. Thy riches, thy tradings, thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, they that caulked thy chinks, and they who trade thy trading, and all thy men of war that are in thee, and in all thine assembly which is in the midst of thee, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of thy fall (Ezekiel 27:26, 27).

This treats of Tyre, and is said of her ships, which signify the knowledges of good and truth, or the truths of the natural man that they acquire and trade in, but here they mean falsities; "the heart of the seas in which the east wind hath broken her, and into which they shall fall in the day of her fall," has a similar signification as the "abyss," namely, the hell from which are the falsities of doctrine; "the east wind" meaning influx out of heaven, and the "day of her fall" the Last Judgment. "Riches" signify falsities; "tradings and merchandise" the acquisition and communication of falsities; "mariners" signify those who minister, and "pilots" the religious leaders who lead and teach; "men of war" those who defend, and "the assembly" false doctrinals.

[11] In Jonah:

Out of the belly of hell have I cried; Thou hast heard my voice. Thou hadst cast me into the depth, even into the heart of the seas; and the river was round about me; all Thy billows and Thy waves passed over me. The waters enclosed me about even to the soul; the abyss encompassed me round about, the sedge was wrapped about my head. I went down to the cuttings off of the mountains; the bars of the earth are upon me forever; yet Thou hast made my life to come up out of the pit (Jonah 2:2, 3, 5, 6).

The Lord teaches in Matthew (Matthew 12:39, 40; 16:4; Luke 11:29, 30), that Jonah's being in the whale three days and three nights represented that the Lord would thus be in the heart of the earth; and these words of Jonah describe the Lord's direful temptations. And because it is by the overflow of evils and falsities that come up out of hell, and as it were overwhelm, that temptations exist, it is said that "out of the belly of hell he cried," and that "he was cast into the depth, even into the heart of the seas," which signifies hell; "the river and the waters that enclosed him," and "the billows and waves that passed over," signify the evils and falsities from hell; "the abyss that encompassed round about," signifies the hells where and from which are the falsities; "the cuttings off of the mountains to which he went down," signify the hells where and from which are evils; that the Lord was as it were bound by these is signified by "the sedge wrapped about the head," and "the bars of the earth that were upon him," "wrapped by sedge" signifying to be bound as it were by falsities, and "the bars of the earth" signifying to be bound as it were by evils; victory over these from His own power is signified by "yet hast Thou made my life to come up out of the pit." It is said, "Thou hast made to come up," but in reference to the Lord this means that He made Himself to come up by His Divine, that is, by His own power.

[12] The following passages in David have a like signification:

Abyss calleth unto abyss at the voice of Thy waterspouts; all Thy breakers and Thy waves have passed over me (Psalms 42:7).

The waters are come even to my soul. I have sunk in mire of depths, there is no standing; I have come into depths of waters, and the billow overwhelms me. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink; let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the depths of waters. Let not the flood of waters overwhelm me, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me (Psalms 69:1, 2, 14, 15).

In the same:

Return, quicken me; return and make me to come up out of the depths of the earth (Psalms 71:20).

In the same:

I have been counted with them that go down into the pit; neglected among the dead, like the slain that lie down in the grave, whom Thou rememberest no more; and from Thy hand they are cut off. Thou hast laid me in the pit of the lower parts, in dark places, in the depths (Psalms 88:4-6).

These passages in David describe the Lord's temptations when He was in the world, by which He subjugated the hells and glorified His Human; "waves" and "billows" signify evils and falsities; and "abysses" and "depths of the sea," likewise "the pit" signify the hells where and from which are evils and falsities; for as was said above, temptations are like immersions in the hells and obsessions by evils and falsities. This is signified by the lamentations in David in many places, and also in the Prophets; for in the spiritual sense of the Word there is much that treats of the Lord's temptations by which He subjugated the hells and arranged all things in order in the heavens and in the hells, and by which He glorified His Human; these things are especially meant in Luke (Luke 24:44) by the things predicted "in the Prophets and in the Psalms of David," respecting the Lord, and fulfilled by Him.

[13] "The abyss" and "the sea" and "its depths" also signify the hells in the following passages. In Jeremiah:

Flee ye, they have turned themselves away, they have cast themselves down into the deep, the inhabitants of Dedan, and of Hazor (Jeremiah 49:8, 30).

In the same:

The sea has come up upon Babylon; she is covered with the multitude of the waves thereof (Jeremiah 51:42).

In Amos:

The Lord Jehovih hath made me to see; and behold, the Lord Jehovih calleth to devour ³ by fire; it hath devoured the great abyss (Amos 7:4).

In David:

The waters saw Thee, O God, the waters saw Thee, they were afraid; the abysses also trembled (Psalms 77:16).

In the same:

We will not fear when the earth shall be changed, and when the mountains shall be moved in the heart of the sea; the waters thereof shall be in tumult, shall be made turbid (Psalms 46:2, 3).

In Moses:

On the same day were all the fountains of the great abyss broken up, and the floodgates of heaven were opened (Genesis 7:11).

And again:

The fountains also of the abyss and the flood gates of heaven were stopped (Genesis 8:2).

In Job:

Where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of intelligence? Man knoweth not the price thereof. The abyss saith, It is not in me; and the sea saith, It is not with me (Job 28:12-14).

In the same:

Hast thou entered into the weepings of the sea, and hast thou walked in search of the abyss? Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee, and hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? (Job 38:16, 17).

In the Gospels:

Whoso shall cause one of these little ones that believe in Me to stumble, it is profitable for him that an ass-millstone be hanged about his neck, and that he be sunk in the depths of the sea (Matthew 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2).

The demons that had possession of the man besought Jesus that He would not command them to depart into the abyss, therefore He suffered them to enter into the swine (Luke 8:31, 33; Matthew 8:31, 32).

And in the following passages of Revelation:

The beast that came up out of the abyss and made war (Revelation 11:7).

The beast that thou sawest was and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss (Revelation 17:8).

I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss, and a great chain upon his hand. And he bound the dragon a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss (Revelation 20:1-3).

In these passages, also, "the abyss" and "the depth of the sea" signify the hell where and from which are the falsities of evil; for the reason that the evil spirits who are there, and who while they lived as men in the world were in the falsities of evil, seem to dwell as it were in the bottom of the seas, and this the more deeply according to the grievousness of the evil from which was their falsity.

[14] As "abysses" signify the hells, where and from which are falsities, so "abysses" signify also the ultimates of heaven, where and from which are the knowledges of truth, which are the truths of the natural man. This is because the ultimates of heaven appear to be in waters, but such as are limpid and clear; for, as was said above, the atmosphere of the highest heaven is like an ethereal atmosphere, that of the middle heaven like an aerial atmosphere, and that of the lowest heaven like a watery atmosphere; this is like a watery atmosphere because the truths with those who are in it are truths of the natural man, and the atmosphere of the natural man is as it were watery. This is what gives rise to the appearances of rivers, lakes, and seas, in the spiritual world; consequently "seas" signify also cognitions and knowledges [cognitiones et scientifica] in general, or in the whole complex (See above, n. 275, 342).

[15] "Abysses" also have a like signification in the following passages. In Moses:

Jehovah thy God bringeth thee to a good land, a land of rivers of waters, of fountains and abysses going forth from valley and mountain (Deuteronomy 8:7).

(This may be seen explained above, n. 518.) In the same:

God will bless Joseph with the blessings of heaven from above, with the blessings of the abyss that coucheth below (Genesis 49:25; Deuteronomy 33:13). (This, too, is explained above, n. 448.)

In David:

By the word of Jehovah were the heavens made; and all the hosts ⁴ of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathered the waters of the sea together as a heap; He giveth the abysses in storehouses (Psalms 33:6, 7). (See above, n. 275), where this is explained.)

In the same:

Thou hast covered the earth with the abyss as with a garment (Psalms 104:6). (See above, n. 275.)

In the same:

Praise Jehovah from the earth, ye whales and all abysses (Psalms 148:7).

"Abysses" in these passages signify the ultimates of heaven, in which are spiritual-natural angels.

In Ezekiel:

The waters made thee ⁵ to grow, the abyss made it high (Ezekiel 31:4). (See also above, n. 518.)

[16] Furthermore "abysses" signify Divine truths in abundance and the arcana of Divine wisdom. Thus in David:

He clave the rock in the desert, and made them to drink out of great abysses (Psalms 78:15).

In the same:

Jehovah, Thy righteousness is like a great abyss (Psalms 36:6; also elsewhere).

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